This invention relates to a performance evaluation facility and more particularly to a system which simulates actual operating conditions on surface effect ship's finger seals and skirts of full-scale size.
Generally in the past, the methods used for evaluation of SES finger seal/skirts were to expose the seal material itself to abrading surfaces to evaluate service life or endurance. The finger structure (only a component of the whole skirt) was subjected to clubs or water-jets which beat on the finger structure's surface. These methods were done on small scale material samples and structures, were not statistically accurate, and obviously were not a realistic representation of actual surface loads and forces which the full-scale seal/skirts would later experience in service. Because of the material composition, and the complex geometries and characteristics of the seal structures, the small-scale data couldn't be extrapolated with statistical confidence. Observation of a 100 ton surface effects vehicle performance showed that the small-scale tests did not correlate to the actual seal wear and deformation produced in actual operation. Experience on the craft has shown that seal deterioration is directly affected by interface boundary forces and direct impact on the finger and bag structure. Thus it is concluded that the prior art methods are inadequate in representing actual and real service conditions and service life performance evaluation of seal structures.